The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine or the like, and particularly to an image forming apparatus that can become ready for operation and become capable of being controlled when a memory means such as a memory card that is detachable and portable is mounted on the apparatus main body.
An image forming apparatus such as a copying apparatus has recently come into wide use, and it has shown remarkable advancement in terms of performance and function. Such a copying apparatus with high function is controlled to be used by plural departments in a company for common use in many cases, which is different from a simplified copying apparatus for personal use. In this case, the proper way for each department to bear the administrative expenses for the copying apparatus is to pay depending on the number of copies the department made using the copying apparatus. For this reason, memory cards (portable memory means) which are detachable and portable and carry registered codes of each department or personnel have been assigned to each department so that each memory card may be mounted on the apparatus main body when copying. Thus, the number of copies made by each department has been managed properly. Many copying apparatuses capable of accepting a memory card have been proposed. For example, Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication Nos. 165664/1985, 277976/1986, 96958/1987, 96966/1987 and 105964/1964 disclose technologies related to the foregoing.
With regard to a memory card having highly advanced functions which can be attached to or detached from an image forming apparatus, an ID number (hereinafter referred to as an ID No.) such as a given number is usually stored in each memory card as a card ID No., while in the image forming apparatus, there are registered a plurality of card ID Nos. which can use the image forming apparatus. When these card ID Nos. agree with usable card ID Nos. stored in the memory card, it is possible to form images, and each time an image is formed, it is counted on a predetermined memory (a count memory means) corresponding to a usable card ID No., resulting in control of the number of image forming operations.
However, when each usable card ID No. is provided with a count memory means described above, many count memory means are required. In addition to that, the number of cards used frequently on the same image forming apparatus is not so large, and consequently, it is of no use from a viewpoint of centralized control to provide a count memory means on a card that is hardly used.
An object of the invention therefore is to provide an image forming apparatus wherein the number of image forming operations through cards which are hardly used can be controlled collectively for eliminating uselessness, in the case of centralized control of the number of image forming operations.